Hey everyone I have a good question... what are the top speaker brands out there? I was looking to get a good.. and I mean GOOD pair of 6x9's in the front of my 92 civic... I search around and I wanted some POWERFUL 5 way speakers and I found the PIONEER 6 X 9" 5 WAY SPEAKER TS-A6991R set for about 70-80 dollars after shipping for new on ebay and many other places are 100+ easy for them. Wattage is like 460 each speaker...like 200 something RMS...

What I want to know is... how powerful can I get for a resonable price... I dont want to spent 3k on 2 speakers but I wouldnt mind spending like 100-150 for some cystal clear 5 way speakers that have a GOOD wattage because im all about the power.

Right now my system as follows:

I have 2 visonik 6 1/2 in the front
I have 2 Diamond audio 6 1/2 in the back...
I have a power acoustik 1600 W max I think like 620 RMS
I have 2 Nitro subs 500 max 250 RMS EACh sub so thats 1000 MAX
I have a crunch 600W max small amp that does I believe 150 max each channel and 110 RMS each channel

Oh yeah and I also have some audiobahn 4 inch somethings on the back of my headrest on each front seat... so I have a 4 channel amp but im powering my 2 diamond audios on 1 channel each and powering the visoniks and audiobahns on the same channel... 6 speakers on a 4 channel amp basically...

Its pretty loud for the price I paid... especially but my plan is sell everything/trade for:

2 6x9's in the front in custom boxes on the floor
2 6 1/2 in the door panel in the front
Keep my diamond audio 6 1/2 in the back because those are NICE speakers
2 6x9's in the back seat somewhere in custom boxes.. havnt figured out where yet.

Thats a total of 8 speakers. Now I want to get some good amps....

I want to get either 2 really good subs, or 4 good subs...im not sure which but I want about 3000-4000W of power MAX and about 2000W RMS or so....so im gonna have to buy some amps to power those powerful subs...and im also going to have to buy some amps to power the speakers obviously. tell me what you guys think? I have a 1992 civic with 182k miles by the way... I say...

if you cant race em....turn your stereo up!

JimJ

09-14-2006, 12:56 AM

:(

That's not going to image very well at all...and I'd steer clear of 5-ways.

smd4life

09-14-2006, 12:57 AM

just for future reference...max power means absolutely nothing

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 12:58 AM

can we please get pics of the car !!!!!

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:04 AM

Why steer clear of 5 way? can you explain that to me? I know some about car audio but it seems you know more than me....

Also.. yeah I guess max power means nothing if you dont have the sound for it...

I will get pics up as soon as possible

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:04 AM

acctually let me go take some pics now... ill be right back

ngsm13

09-14-2006, 01:07 AM

So, everything you have *****... except the DA's...

Just being honest with you.

nG

Worlddre

09-14-2006, 01:08 AM

:wave: to somebody else in the DC area.

but yeah steer clear of those 5 ways are they are all gimmick

Railrocker

09-14-2006, 01:09 AM

Holy **** :wacky:

Ok its obvious that you have the desire to improve upon the sound quality in you vehicle. Unfortunatly I think you have gone about it all wrong and have already wasted quite a bit of money and time doing so.

That system sounds like a nightmare. My head starts spinning just reading it.

Ok 6x9's under the seat isnt going to reproduce sound like it was meant to be heard. Ive never been to a concert where I sat on top of the band.

I agree with step one sell everything or trade it off for different equipment.

Take the diamond audio 6 1/2 's and put them up front. Buy some components up there would be even better. Buy a decent 2 channel amp for these.

If you have to have rear fill I would go with round speakers not 6 x 9's.

Buy 2 really good woofers and a mono class D amp to push them.

Basicly simplify your system (less speakers) and buy good quality stuff. Then do a proper installation with correct imaging.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions Im sure you will find good help on the forum.

JimJ

09-14-2006, 01:09 AM

Why steer clear of 5 way? can you explain that to me? I know some about car audio but it seems you know more than me....

Also.. yeah I guess max power means nothing if you dont have the sound for it...

Because 5-way speakers simply add more tweeters that are unnecessary...

And max power ratings are worthless because who knows how the company achieved those ratings, and if they're under the clipping threshold or not?

Railrocker

09-14-2006, 01:09 AM

acctually let me go take some pics now... ill be right back

Yeah I got to see pics of this.

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:13 AM

cant wait for pics

j3bus2k3

09-14-2006, 01:15 AM

wait...you have 4" Audiobahns on your headrests? :wow:

Railrocker

09-14-2006, 01:16 AM

Do you guys realize what kind of an installation nightmare this has to be I still cant picture it!

6spdcoupe

09-14-2006, 01:17 AM

Ummm wha teh ***?

eatank

09-14-2006, 01:18 AM

6x9 in the front????? Come on, be serious. This has to be a joke,right? In a civic?

Worlddre

09-14-2006, 01:18 AM

Ummm wha teh ***?

lawl at the user title

PatFitz9

09-14-2006, 01:19 AM

you want the best speakers, but you only want to spend 100-150 for them?

6spdcoupe

09-14-2006, 01:20 AM

lawl at the user title

:D I dont even think he noticed. :(

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:25 AM

ok i got the pics now and im uploading them.... yeah their are alot of wires and **** all together because I never cared about making it look all nice lol

j3bus2k3

09-14-2006, 01:26 AM

:popcorn:

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:27 AM

ohhhh my god im excited

pwnt by pat

09-14-2006, 01:29 AM

subscribed

Twistid

09-14-2006, 01:31 AM

there done uploading

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:31 AM

yea^^^

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:34 AM

almost guys... you guys are gonna laugh your asses off especially at the 4 inch audiobahns at my headrest LOL

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:34 AM

Also yeah it might be a bad system... but definately not for the price because i paid a **** good price for the power

lol my friend hit a deer like a year ago when it was his car... i bought it from him so that wasnt me... also check out the speaker wire on the door LOL i got lazy and didnt feel like hiding it

Worlddre

09-14-2006, 01:39 AM

those abahns are gangsta as booty cheeks

Railrocker

09-14-2006, 01:39 AM

Dude did you run out there and install them why we was waiting for pics ?:laugh:

smd4life

09-14-2006, 01:39 AM

thats just baddass dude...lol at the 4" audiobahn

j3bus2k3

09-14-2006, 01:39 AM

Photo #7 FTW!! :laugh:

Twistid

09-14-2006, 01:40 AM

when you said audiobahns in the headrest i assumed you had a hole cut out and the speaker stuck in there...

wow

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:40 AM

i mean its much better than some stock crap....its not the best but not the WORST out there!!!

AcidicDreams

09-14-2006, 01:40 AM

Because 5-way speakers simply add more tweeters that are unnecessary...

And max power ratings are worthless because who knows how the company achieved those ratings, and if they're under the clipping threshold or not?

ISn't the definition of RMS max unclipped power and MAX Power is max clipped power, which is entirely useless because you'd kill any speaker attached to an amp making "max" power

smd4life

09-14-2006, 01:40 AM

is that a "CRUNK" amp?

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:40 AM

omg man take all of it i repeat ALLL of that stuff out sell it for what u can and restart doing it right this time.... at worst take it all out and throw it away wiring and everything

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:41 AM

I mean I didnt have time to hide the cords and im not exactly driving the best car out there... i installed it all in about an hour....eh whatever

Railrocker

09-14-2006, 01:41 AM

Be nice guys. We can help this dude, he wants to learn.
Everybody breath in and WOOOOOOO SAAAAAAAAA

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:42 AM

No its a CRUNCH amp LOL not crunk that would be interesting though.

dude jeeps... I spend like no money on that system I got it all dirt cheap so stop joanin on my system because you got like 2k+ of crap in your car aight dude i dont have ALOT of money

Worlddre

09-14-2006, 01:43 AM

there is just so much that needs to be done

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:43 AM

I got a guy thats willing to give me an $800 laptop for most (not all) of my stuff and im definately doing that deal with that laptop im gonna sell that and use that money to buy some good ****... so inform me guys!

Railrocker

09-14-2006, 01:44 AM

ok a couple of us actually put post on here trying to point you in the right direction read on the first and second page of this thread and elaborate on what you have in mind. Cool?

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:44 AM

innnnnnn outttttttt, innnnnnnnn outtttt ok seriously tho man, from what ive seen in your car. take it all out. all of it. start fresh. get some comps for the front doors and some rear fills. get a good amp or 2 amps and power your speakers and get a single sub for the rear. QUALITY over quantity is the best idea here

Worlddre

09-14-2006, 01:45 AM

www.bcae1.com

read that to begin

as there is much to learn....and when you get all of your new equipment if you need any help with the proper install shoot me a pm

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 01:46 AM

Hey everyone I have a good question... what are the top speaker brands out there? I was looking to get a good.. and I mean GOOD pair of 6x9's in the front of my 92 civic...Why? Since no Civic I've ever seen came stock with that size driver up front why go through the hassle of installing/getting some installed when superior sound can be had with much less headache?

I search around and I wanted some POWERFUL 5 way speakers and I found the PIONEER 6 X 9" 5 WAY SPEAKER TS-A6991R set for about 70-80 dollars after shipping for new on ebay and many other places are 100+ easy for them. Wattage is like 460 each speaker...like 200 something RMS... A) 5-element coaxial speakers are nothing more than a marketing gimmick. If you'll have a close look at the specs of the smaller drivers in those speakers you'll find that many of them are rated to reproduce frequencies higher than 20kHz which is beyond the range of the average human's ability to hear. 2-ways, 3-ways at most are your friend. Beyond that is a waste of money. Trust us on this.
B) Peak wattage ratings are merely another marketing tool and as far as figuring out the overall usability of any certain driver it is basically a useless number. Stick with RMS wattage ratings which are a much more pertinent specification.

What I want to know is... how powerful can I get for a resonable price... I dont want to spent 3k on 2 speakers but I wouldnt mind spending like 100-150 for some cystal clear 5 way speakers that have a GOOD wattage because im all about the power.See above and also :fyi: There are some speakers out there that are rated for fairly low wattage capabilities when taken at a glance but the sound reproduction will really surprise you. Don't place so much importance on nothing more than a number when seemingly you're not quite understanding its true role.

Right now my system as follows:

I have 2 visonik 6 1/2 in the front
I have 2 Diamond audio 6 1/2 in the back...
I have a power acoustik 1600 W max I think like 620 RMS
I have 2 Nitro subs 500 max 250 RMS EACh sub so thats 1000 MAX
I have a crunch 600W max small amp that does I believe 150 max each channel and 110 RMS each channelWhy would you put a superior set of speakers in the rear (the Diamond Audios) in the rear and go with those Visoniks up front instead? Your front stage is much more important at the end of the day than your rear fill. More than a few here would lead you to believe that rear fill at all is a complete waste...

Oh yeah and I also have some audiobahn 4 inch somethings on the back of my headrest on each front seat... so I have a 4 channel amp but im powering my 2 diamond audios on 1 channel each and powering the visoniks and audiobahns on the same channel... 6 speakers on a 4 channel amp basically... There's no response here except
Oh
My
God
!!!

Its pretty loud for the price I paid... especially but my plan is sell everything/trade for:

2 6x9's in the front in custom boxes on the floor See above

2 6 1/2 in the door panel in the frontThat makes sense (the only thing that has thus far??)

Keep my diamond audio 6 1/2 in the back because those are NICE speakersI agree that they're likely the nicest speakers you have but see above regarding their placement.

2 6x9's in the back seat somewhere in custom boxes.. havnt figured out where yet. mmKay...

Thats a total of 8 speakers. Now I want to get some good amps....Not a half-bad idea ;)

I want to get either 2 really good subs, or 4 good subs...im not sure which but I want about 3000-4000W of power MAX and about 2000W RMS or so.... Okay

so im gonna have to buy some amps to power those powerful subs...and im also going to have to buy some amps to power the speakers obviously.With that much amplification in a Civic you'll also need to buy some upgraded charging system components as the stock output will not come close to sufficiently providing the necessary juice to create that much wattage.

tell me what you guys think?
I did. :thumbsup:

I have a 1992 civic with 182k miles by the way... I say...
if you cant race em....turn your stereo up!Is that so you can't hear them laughing? :laugh:
Just kidding.
Not!

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:46 AM

I mean when I acctually get a good car worth hiding all of the wires and stuff I will install it good...but for now I see no reason to with an 186k miles civic

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:47 AM

youve got a good start man... get the laptop and sell it like you said. then get some good 6.5 inch comps for the fronts. and a good amp for them. youll be very impressed at what a good set of speakers can get you instead of 5 pairs of lower quality speakers

smd4life

09-14-2006, 01:47 AM

listen to what most of the people say on here...some of the best sounding car stereo's i've ever heard only had 2 mid's 2 tweet, and 1 8"

AcidicDreams

09-14-2006, 01:47 AM

OK... First off sorry everyone is picking on you.... it's just bound to happen when you have little to no guidance in how to properly install and pick audio componenets... trust me, I've seen worse... Next you need to take some time with your install... the wire running out from under the mid is a travesty... but it's easily fixed...

Now to echo everyone else, stick around, learn some basics and start over... There are tons of resources for learning and once you get past the initial spat of newbie haters you can learn alot on these forums...

Also bookmark this page:
http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb3/showthread.php?t=135835

it has tons of tutorials....

and don't worry... I've built some killer systems for ~$500... If you plan on spending less than that then don't worry about how it sounds...

Worlddre

09-14-2006, 01:48 AM

one can always count on prowlah to tale the time to write out everything

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 01:50 AM

;)
I do try.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:52 AM

I will listen to what you all have to say...but I do want it to be extremely loud... as well with good quality... thats why im aiming for more speakers... and the 6x9's not underneath the seat... but on the right side where I would have a clutch if i had one(i dont its auto)

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:54 AM

ok man i was rough at first but listen up... some of the guys on here are some of the best guys in the buisness... listen to wat they say. more is not better.. and build your system a step at a time. it wont all happen at one time. and good luck if u need any help let me know

AcidicDreams

09-14-2006, 01:54 AM

I will listen to what you all have to say...but I do want it to be extremely loud... as well with good quality... thats why im aiming for more speakers... and the 6x9's not underneath the seat... but on the right side where I would have a clutch if i had one(i dont its auto)

Adding more comp sets isn't going to help.. learning how to install properly is going to make the most difference

and at the end of the day you'll just end up going deaf... You can get VERY!!! loud with one comp set and a pair of subs... that is all you need

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:55 AM

what is a comp set? show me some...

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:56 AM

well believe it or not its really really loud now and I like it that way..lol because my speakers do have alot of watts just not as good quality... also i forgot to mention i have a 5 farad cap thatshould be good yes?

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 01:56 AM

My setup is comprised of a single 12" sub plus my smaller speakers.
I'd wager, since you seem to place immense importance on "loud", that what I have currently is both louder and cleaner-sounding than that monster-sized migrane you're calling a stereo.

There are people on this forum with less than I have that are likely even louder.

"More" does not always equate to "louder." While certainly it can....proper implementation is key and this is the bit I think you need more than a fraction of education towards. Not trying to bag on you, fella, but most of us here were novices once too. We have since learned a bit. You'll learn as well ~ but you apparently have more than a few preconceived notions about what this hobby is all about and methinks you don't know quite so much as you'd like to think you do.

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:57 AM

it means component set.. has a tweeter and mid bass seperatly

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:58 AM

so its like 3 way?

jeeper07

09-14-2006, 01:59 AM

no ill find a pic

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 01:59 AM

yeah well your 12 inch sub is probably like 5000 watts and crap for alot of money

This is one example of a component set. This one incorporates a woofer usually 4" to 6 1/2" and a tweeter. The other thing you see there is a passive crossover they are used to separate the frequencies so you only get "highs" to the tweeter and "mids" to the woofer. These are usually superior to coaxials in both power handling and sound quality.

Worlddre

09-14-2006, 01:59 AM

www.bcae1.com

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 02:01 AM

yeah but I dont feel like messing with little external tweeters and crossovers thats more wiring and stuff

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 02:01 AM

yeah well your 12 inch sub is probably like 5000 watts and crap for alot of money
My 12" sub retailed for under $400, could be had for far less on places like eBay and such, and gets fed with around 600 watts RMS (though it will take more safely).
While $300+ for a single sub may seem like heaps to some that aren't quite so initiated in the hobby in car audio moreso than in other things the saying "You get what you pay for" really holds true.

EDIT: Matter of fact, here's one (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-06-DIAMOND-AUDIO-D6-12-SUBWOOFER-DUAL-4-OHM-TDX_W0QQitemZ220026856262QQihZ012QQcategoryZ18804Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) that is an equivilent (same driver, newer model number) of what I use for under $200/shipped

hey im not calling your stuff bad... i was simply asking why do you have 600w when their are like so much more out there?

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 02:10 AM

hey im not calling your stuff bad... i was simply asking why do you have 600w when their are like so much more out there?
Because...

"More" does not always equate to "louder." While certainly it can....proper implementation is key and this is the bit I think you need more than a fraction of education towards. Not trying to bag on you, fella, but most of us here were novices once too. We have since learned a bit. You'll learn as well ~ but you apparently have more than a few preconceived notions about what this hobby is all about and methinks you don't know quite so much as you'd like to think you do.

JimJ

09-14-2006, 02:11 AM

The sub doesn't have any power...:fyi:

And having more power is not always better...depends on the application.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 02:14 AM

well im looking for loudness...thats all i really care for

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 02:18 AM

well im looking for loudness...thats all i really care for
Get ya one of these (http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-AUDIOBAHN-AWIS12P-NEW-IMMORTAL-COMPETITION-SUB_W0QQitemZ250026175951QQihZ015QQcategoryZ48613Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) and power it with one of these (http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-Orion-2500D-MONSTER-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ140027304821QQihZ004QQcategoryZ18 797QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). You'll be loud assuming you put the sub in a proper enclosure. I'll reserve judgement on how it will actually sound but it will inarguably get loud if in the right box.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 02:22 AM

yeah now thats what im talking about 2000 watts RMS.....

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 02:24 AM

hey maybe ill go ahead and stick a JACKHAMMER in my civic so all my windows can shatter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 02:25 AM

hey maybe ill go ahead and stick a JACKHAMMER in my civic so all my windows can shatter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Only if it's a real jackhammer....as in the kind designed to break up concrete...

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 02:29 AM

hahah well thanks guys its been an interesting 2 hours! I will definately go ahead and get that laptop so I can start to get another system so maybe next time i can get some respect around here! lol again thanks guys I appreciate everything

kris

Prowler573

09-14-2006, 02:30 AM

Good luck, fella :wave:

Railrocker

09-14-2006, 02:31 AM

NP good luck! Respect is gained by listening ;)

T3mpest

09-14-2006, 02:51 AM

So this wasnt' a joke?.... Hmm, could have fooled me

AcidicDreams

09-14-2006, 11:44 AM

hey maybe ill go ahead and stick a JACKHAMMER in my civic so all my windows can shatter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The jackhammer is a marketing gimmick... try one of these

http://www.audiojunkies.com/product_detail.php?cid=152&product_id=223

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 11:51 AM

Hey guys thanks for helping me out last night.... but nobody really told me what the top speaker brands were out there? can someone break that down for me price range to quality? obviously their are some nice 1k speakers out there but break it down by price. Thanks

DoobieBrother

09-14-2006, 12:06 PM

The guys on here have all been pretty nice and understanding with your questions. Actually, I too was beginning to wonder if this was a bogus thread. You ask what the TOP brands are. The guys on here will probably have a different idea of what that means than you do since you 've stated you main goal is loud. There are a lot of good brands at several different price points. And just because something says 2000 watts doesn't mean it's good, or sometimes even loud. You can find speakers that are rated for 150watts nominal and will kill your ear drums when done right. Not a goal of mine, but whatever floats your boat.

What you truly need to do now is spend some time learning by reading, listening to different systems and gain some understanding. If you don't want to invest a little time and effort into some education, then just go over to Walmart and buy whatever has the biggest numbers.

T3mpest

09-14-2006, 12:09 PM

Lots of good options at any price point. I guess I'll list some good brands in speakers. Dynaudio, Morel, Focal, Alpine, MB Quart, JL, Rainbow, CDT, Scanspeak. Anway, post above me is right, your looking for a quick out, whihc isn't going to happen. You may as well go to a store hand them some money, say you want it loud and call it a day. Your best bet, however, is to spend some time learning about what it takes to make a good system and do some real research. Like it was already said, peak power and RMS values DO NOT equal loud. My friend has a pair of Pioneer coax'es rated at 250 watts max power with an amp that has a 300 watt max power rating. My future setup consists of speaker running off less than 30 watts, too bad my speakers running off of hu power could easily drown out his components, no sweat.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 12:11 PM

I dont buy anything in retail stores because everything is soo overpriced. I have been taking the time to read certain articles I was provided with last night. What im trying to get is a certain overview of what each person here likes...Like what are some brands to stay way from...and some brands that most people enjoy... so I can read up on those brands to enhance my knowledge of car audio

T3mpest

09-14-2006, 12:17 PM

Care to give a budget for the speakers and amp, how much are you willing to spend on your front stage. I'd suggest giving up as much as you feel you can, even if it means saving. I work at McDonalds, and I've spent WAYYY too much money on audio equipment, but savings worth it. The hobby is most expensive when you get impatient and buy things that you plan on upgrading later, you always want to buy the best gear you feel you can, do your best to satify yourself the first time!

DoobieBrother

09-14-2006, 12:21 PM

Ok. Well, a lot of the brands people like on here are going to be more expensive than what you've been talking about. Also, remember, with some brands their high end expensive stuff sounds great, but their lower end stuff sounds crappy.

Personally, for head units, I like Pioneer and Eclipse. I have the Pioneer DEH-P880PRS.
As for speakers, I generally like the Focals. One thing you'll find is that some of the brands people like on here, like Rainbow, are hard to find locally to listen to.
For amps, there are many choices that are good.
Subs, again many choices. With this you need to decide what kind of sound you are after. That will determine what kind of enclosure you should use and what sub is appropriate for it.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 12:21 PM

well im definately satisfied with what I have right now which is pretty much crap to everyone on this site. I just plan to upgrade to some way better stuff that sounds louder and crisper. I plan on selling all my stuff now and gettin an 800$ laptop so Id like to spend about 500-1000 for my entire system.

DoobieBrother

09-14-2006, 12:23 PM

T3mpest has hit the nail on the head. In my case, I could probably go buy whatever system I wanted (if the wife wouldn't kill me), but I'm choosing to do it a piece at a time for two reasons. I'll get exactly what I want and I won't have to tap any credit cards or have to give up anything from my normal budget.

T3mpest

09-14-2006, 12:27 PM

With that price range I'd try to find a pair of Alpine type X components. Really nice speakers for the money, you can find them for near 200 dollars if you look around. CDT and Rainbow also have good speakers in that range. As well as boston acoustics, Pro60's are nice budget drivers.

When buying a system, I try to avoid "total" cost. I usually just go one component at a time, maximizing quality on each one, at whatever price I feel I can afford to spend. 300 on a sub, 250, amp, etc. I usually put more money into my frontstage and processing. For example, the price of my sub and amp are just about equal to my HU. More than I wanted to spend in some cases, sure, but it stopped me from making comprimises between my audio budget and regular spending.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 12:27 PM

the only part of my system that is acctually any good would be the diamond audio speakers in the back... everything else is pretty much no name brand stuff

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 12:33 PM

my front volfenhag speakers were so crappy that I was listening to them so loud that one of the tweeters blew... and it was pretty loup popping sound... i thhought it was hilarious

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 12:37 PM

I was told and have read up that component speakers are better...but I really dont want to have to go through the hassle of external tweeters and crossovers but I guess that will have to do...

DoobieBrother

09-14-2006, 02:00 PM

THe hassle is nothing more than running your speaker wire to the crossover, and then pairs from the crossover to the tweeter and midbass. It's really not that big of a deal. There are some good sounding coaxials out there if that's what you really want, though.

Personally, if it were me, I'd start by worrying about a more solid car.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 05:40 PM

yeah well I never had mommy or daddy buy me a lexus is 300 or some **** or a BMW id surely take one of those but im just a college student who drives ALOT of miles and likes to be entertained while driving about 3-5k miles a month so id rather put some money into audio rather than save for a car I could never afford in the first place.

T3mpest

09-14-2006, 06:22 PM

yeah, wiring components is no harder than coax's well not by much. If do you don't get used to taking time installing you'll NEVER have a good stereo, no matter how much you spend.

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 06:36 PM

yeah that is true... I had never installed a stereo before ever and about 3 months ago or so I put all of what I have in and I was so thrilled to have done it myself and not pay best buy to do it.

Scoobydoo

09-14-2006, 06:49 PM

what laptop are you trading for?

not trying to be rude, but if you know as much about computers as you do car audio you might be getting ripped off

krisfnbz

09-14-2006, 06:56 PM

oh no... I know pretty much nothing about car audio... I know pretty much everything about computers....turns out the guy I knew had already traded his laptop and its a no deal right now... kind of lame

KojiroTakenashi

09-14-2006, 06:58 PM

Ok Buddy, it sounds like you need School on the BASIC principles of audio reproduction.

Lemme leech a response graph from Ascend Acoustics, since I love that company so much:

Now, Wattage is SECONDARY to how loud a speaker can go. WATTS DO NOT DIRECTLY EQUAL VOLUME. Watts CERTAINLY have nothing to do with quality, either. I would much rather have a system with a smooth Frequency Response across the board instead of a system that can play, say, 45hz at 100 SPL all day long.

Which brings me to SPL. SPL is "Sound Pressure Level", and this is what most people interpret as 'loudness' or 'volume'. That's the actually air pressure created to make your sound wave.

On the graph, to the left is the SPL as indicated in dB, or Decibels. This graph was taken (as it say on the top) at 1 meter away from the speakers (home theatre speakers by the way, car audio only differs when you get into the on/off axis response, which we'll get to). As you can see, these speakers produce a whopping 90 decibels of response on a single watt with the microphone sitting 1 meter away. You're not going to be sitting a meter away from car speakers...

On the bottom of the graph it says 'frequency'. It is what it says, frequency measured in Hz. Now, the limit for a person to be able to not easily hear a dip in SPL (or volume) is 3 dB. To get the most accurate sound possible, a speaker shouldn't go below 3dB in its intended range of audio reproduction. I've seen some speakers with even tighter tolerances - +/- 2dB!

With Car Audio things are different, mostly the install location of the components, the Tweeter especially. High frequencies are WAY more dependant on placement than lower frequencies. The lower you go in frequency, the less placement matters. The generally understood bottom limit is 80 hz, where actual placement doesn't matter...I'm picky, and I prefer below 50hz. It's at this point where things are completely omnidirectional, meaning that no matter where your sub goes (you will be using a sub for these low frequencies) you'll hear those bass notes as if they're coming from your front speakers, if your subwoofer is properly installed. In order to make up for placement issues, the crossovers are very important...and that's about the limit to my knowledge.

In short, watts almost don't matter at all. You shouldn't be looking at wattage - it's just how much power the speaker can take before it fries...and you also need to actually consider the QUALITY of the watts you're getting as well. I've seen 5, yes FIVE watt amplifiers that blow away 100 watt amplifiers (the five watt amp is a Tripath-based T-Amp, btw).

Take the speakers you 'see' in the graph above. At 1 meter away, the SPL is still at about 90 decibels powered on a single watt. These are 150 watt RMS speakers.

Edit: Now let's talk about STEREO!

Stereophonic (or Stereo for short) speakers were introduced to more accurately reproduce sound. The logic is that because we have two ears, two speakers angled towards our heads SHOULD in theory produce a '3D' sound. This '3D' sound is what is known as the 'Stereo Image'. Now, in practice it falls a little short (thus more speakers in a home theatre setup), but with a really good setup (such as mine) it can come pretty **** close to creating an 'image' that makes you feel like you're 'in' the sound, as opposed to just percieving sound coming out of speakers. This is one reason why your headrest install is a horrible idea.

Now, since it's hard to create a good stereo image in the car audio environment, the best installs use component tweeters. This is because, as I mentioned previously, the higher the audio frequency is, the more directional the sound becomes. This means that placement becomes more and more important. Component tweeters allow you to install the tweeters in a position that actually points towards your head. There are also optional 'imaging kits' that you can buy to add an additional set of tweeters. This allows your 'main' tweeters to be configured to produce the sound, and the 'image' tweeters to actually create the stereo image effect.